Escaping The Pain
by stokeslover-4eva
Summary: Sara is swallowed by the pains of her world. She takes extreme measures to deal with it. After recovery, things start to turn around. Will they stay that way? Or will she be tossed back into the world she feared?Possibility of more chapters soon
1. Opening Old Wounds

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Escaping The Pain

Chapter one: Opening Old Wounds

"Well gang. It's finally over." Grissom said with a triumphant sigh. Underneath his pasted on happy face, he was thinking about how he could finally go home soon and sleep the sleep that had been waiting for him for the past 6 days. They had been working on a case that had taken them up and down, had so many twists and turns, and they were getting sick from the ride. But it was finally over. The room could stop spinning and they could go back to the "normal" hours.

Grissom hated pretending to be happy when he wasn't but he had to keep the team going until they could leave for home. He knew that they all were trying their hardest to look positive, but the circles under their eyes gave them away. He was proud of his team. He surveyed them all and noticed that Sara had the darkest circles. She'd been working harder than usual for some reason.

"We better get paid a lot for all the time we've put in." Catherine said with a short laugh, but you knew that she meant it. They said their feeble "Goodbye's" and "See ya later's" and walked out of the building. 

Sara dragged her feet to her car and she climbed in, not know where she truly wanted to go. Part of her wanted to go home but the other, stronger part wanted to get a drink. She pulled out, having not decided yet where it is she was headed. That stronger part of her obviously controlled her driving ability, because she went towards a local bar.

"Coors Light please," and a sweaty bottle was slid in her direction. She took a long swig of it and enjoyed the cool liquid running down her throat. She had a few before going home to a shower and fluffy bed.

Her alarm clock screamed at her that it was time to get up. But she just frustratingly flung it off the dresser. Her guilt soon got to her and she got up with a drawn-out moan. A headache was splitting her skull open, so the first thing she did was took three aspirin. She got in the shower and let the warm water run down her face and neck. She stepped out of the shower, wrapped her towel around and went into her bedroom. Looking in the mirror, she saw the circles under her eyes; they were lighter than before but they were still visible.

A tear rolled slowly down her cheek as she remembered Grissom's words from a few days back.

_"I wanted to talk to you all at once and not let it be a rumor going around. This is my last week. I know that you all can take care of yourselves without me. I have faith in you all. You are hard workers. And you are one of the best in the country; the best in my opinion." _

They all just looked at him and each other. The words had left them way before they knew what to say. 

Catherine was the first to speak. _"Gil, how could you leave? You love this job. It's your life. This and bugs. You can't leave. I won't let you. We won't let you." _

She was followed by the rest of the team backing her up. He was their leader; without him, they would all go astray. 

_"I'm sorry. But I don't feel like I should be here. Something is calling me away. I love this job and all of you. I just can't stay anymore. This _has _been my life. And I think I need something more. Now let's go back to work. I'm going to finish out this case at least."_

That was an argument that left nothing much to say. His news of leaving only made them work harder. Maybe in hopes to impress him and make him stay. Or to show him that he loved the job and couldn't leave.

But this shift would be his last. That one tear led the way for many others. She was shivering and didn't even notice for several minutes. The world was going blurry with the rush of tears. She dressed herself and walked into the bathroom. She opened a drawer and pulled out a little white tin. Looking down on it, she wasn't sure if she should open it. But she felt like she had to. So she did.

Gleaming at her, were 6 tiny razors. She picked out the middle one and put down the tin. 

_Where should I cut? _Was her only thought. _My arm? No. To obvious. My leg. Maybe._

She decided on her forearm. She could just were a long sleeve shirt. She rolled up her sleeve and placed the cold metal to her skin. Still crying, she cut into her arm. Letting the blood flow off her arm and into the sink. She looked at it.__

_At least part of me is free from all the pain, _she thought. But a second look at her arm made her think different. _What have I done? I told myself that I wouldn't do this anymore._

She fell to the floor crying tears of helplessness. She curled into a ball. The blood slowly fell to the floor.__


	2. Saying Goodbye

*Thanks so much for the reviews!! I appreciate it sooooooooooo much! On to your reading!

Escaping The Pain

Chapter Two: Saying Goodbye

She stayed on the floor for a minute or two longer. She dressed her wounds and changed her shirt. She threw her old shirt out; it had some blood on it. She didn't think it'd ever come out. She stepped back into her bedroom and looked into the big mirror on her dresser.

_Why do I feel so empty and alone inside? I need something, someone to make this go away. What's wrong with me? I've always been happy. I love my job, my friends. _She looked around her apartment. She felt a void in the air. Old magazines cluttered her coffee table. Old take-out containers were in the refrigerator. She picked up the trash can and threw the magazines and food away, then took the trash out.

_Maybe I should just leave too. Find a new life. _A different voice entered her mind (No she's not schizophrenic.)._ You can't leave. You know you really don't want to. Stop thinking that. Grissom won't completely leave. You know that. He couldn't do that. You'll still see him. Don't feel so lonely. You have all those people who care about you._

_ Who?_

_ Catherine, Warrick, Greg, Brass, Grissom, Doc Robbins, Nick._

_ He cares about me._

_ They all do._

_ I know. But Nick seems like he cares a little more than everyone else._

_ Even Greg? He's always giving you attention. I think he likes you._

_ He does. But I just don't feel that way about him._

_ Of course not. You're always giving your attention to Grissom. Remember when he asked you for break and you said that you would._

_ But I didn't. I got caught up with-_

_ Grissom._

She stopped thinking. She was back in her apartment. Not aware that she ever moved from the garbage bin. She had 20 minutes left before she had to leave for work. 

So Sara went and bought Grissom a goodbye gift. An entomology book that she heard Grissom saying that he wanted.

When she arrived at work, it looked like they had set up the conference room like a party room. It was his last night so Catherine decided that if he really was going to leave that they ought to throw him a goodbye party. There were balloons, banners, and party hats. Catherine had also bought a gift for him. So did Lindsey. Catherine was trying to get Greg to give up some of his Blue Hawaiian coffee.

"Catherine, you do realize that this is my special coffee right? I don't know if I can part with it."

"Greg!! One, it's coffee. Two, it's Grissom's last night. The least you can do is give up the coffee. Please?" She gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Alright!" And with that he surrendered the coffee to her.

Sara was watching in the doorway.

"Hey Sara." Greg said with his goofy smile. "I see you've also bought Gris a present."

"Yeah. It's this book he wants. What'd you guys get him?"

"I got him a Black Flag CD. To remember me."

"How could he forget you?" Sara said with a laugh.

"I got him a picture of the gang. Hopefully he'll miss us to much to stay away to long." There were tears already threatening to spill from her eyes.

Nick was coming down the hallway, whistling some song stuck in his head. He too carried a package wrapped with colorful paper.

"Hey Nicky." Sara said, smiling. She felt like she was happy.

"Hey Sara."

"What'd you get Grissom?"

"It's a surprise." Nick said with smile. It wasn't really a secret but he thought he would keep her guessing. It was a bug that he saw at a store out of town, looked up, and found that it was some rare bug. So he went back and bought it for him.

Warrick was soon to come. He too carried a small, wrapped package. It was a scrapbook of cases they had solved and pictures of them all.

"Hey Sara."

"Hey Warrick. What'd you get Grissom?"

"I made a scrapbook of all the cases we've solved and there are some pictures of us. I always keep two of those types of things just in case something happens to one of the sets."

"That's so sweet of you Warrick."

His smile said "Oh no big deal."

They waited to or three more minutes before Grissom finally arrived. They blew on little kazoo's when he walked in.

"Hey gang."

"Hey Grissom!" They all shouted.

"You didn't have to do this."

"Of course we did!" Catherine shouted. "What kind of people would we be if we didn't do anything for you on your last night?"

"Okay. Well. Thank you."

Nick put on some music. And they sat around the table and talked for a little while.

Sara was enjoying herself. And didn't think about her arm at all. They all danced. Sara with Nick. Catherine with Warrick. Greg offered to dance with Grissom but he declined. Greg didn't take that to well so he grabbed Grissom's arms and danced with him anyway. Brass and Doc Robbins walked in at the sight of them all dancing with each other and they chuckled. It really was a sight to see.

"I'll be right back." Catherine said. She smiled sneakily and walked out to her car. She returned, cake in hand. "I wasn't completely sure what your favorite flavor was so I got vanilla cake with chocolate icing. I hope you like it."

"I love it." 

Sara put some candles on it and they all sang "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" around Grissom. 

It was about 2:00 and they were on a sugar high. They played games. Like slapjack, a poor attempt at Spin The Bottle, and Pin The Tail On The Donkey with Brass as the donkey. 

It was time to open presents. Catherine went first. Lindsey had made a macaroni picture of bugs. He loved their gifts. Greg handed Grissom his CD. Grissom laughed. Nick went next. Grissom had informed him that he already had one of the same species but he flattered by the gift. Sara handed her gift to Grissom. He loved that too. He was hoping that someone had heard that he wanted it. Warrick went last (Brass and Robbins didn't really get him anything. Just cards.). This was the first time they'd ever seen Grissom so close to tears. The tears were not only for Warrick's gifts but for all of them.

_After all this, how can he still leave us?_ Sara thought to herself. She wanted so badly to scream it at him but her lips wouldn't budge. She also wanted to grab the cake knife and dig a few more cuts into herself but that just wasn't possible.


	3. Getting Worse

Chapter 3: Getting Worse

Their party was coming to an end. Sara found herself staring at Grissom. Taking in his face, remembering every feature. She didn't want to have to let him go. He was such a big part of her life.

"So what are you planning on doing without us?" Catherine asked.

"Well I want to teach. Entomology. Big surprise." He said with a chuckle.

"We know how you love bugs." Nick said.

There was a pause.

"You can't leave us." Sara said without realizing that she'd said anything. "How can you sit there and still want to leave? We need you to be here! You're going to miss us. You'll leave and go on and then in a few days you'll want to be here with us. I know it." She started crying hateful tears. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. She was furious with him.

Grissom rushed to her and sort of hugged her.

"I'm sorry. But I want to do this. I've gotten a job offer and everything. I'm not moving at all. You'll still see me."

She pulled away from him and just stared at him. _No, no. You'll never see me,_ she thought. _I work nights, you'll be working days. We'll never run into each other. This is goodbye. And I hate it._

She stood up, looking around at everyone. They felt the same way she did. But they wouldn't say it. They had to respect his decision. She ran. Out of the room, out of the building. She couldn't breath. She didn't know where to go. They followed.

"Sara! Come back!" Nick yelled. "Don't leave!" He was the first to reach her. "Sara. It'll be ok. I promise. You still have us. Gris is going to be ok. I'm sure he'll visit or something. Come here." He pulled her into a hug. She weakly tried to fight but she couldn't. Nick rubbed her hair and calmed her. Catherine was also crying. She rubbed Sara's back. Warrick put an arm around Catherine. Greg looked at Grissom and smiled. But it wasn't a funny moment. 

They were saying their final goodbye's. They hugged Grissom. Catherine, Warrick, Sara, Nick, and Greg (Brass and Doc Robbins left just before Sara's break down) stood on the side walk, watching Grissom walk to his car. It was one of, if not the hardest thing they ever had to do.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sara walked in her house and immediately went to her fridge for a beer. She didn't want to have to feel the way she did. It wasn't fair. 

She cut herself more. Deeper now. But this didn't make her feel better.

_Maybe if I..._ She dismissed that thought. But it crept back into her mind. _If I slit my wrists then I might feel better. Someone might actually realize that I'm in trouble here and help me. I can't help myself._

Her hands were shaking. The razor was bloody still. She held it close to her left wrist.

_Just do it._

And she did. A clean slice. 2 hesitation marks. It stung. 

A knock at the door. It came again but more forcefully. Finally it burst open. She could see it. Nick was standing in the doorway. Sara quickly slit her right wrist. But she was sure that she'd hear her whimpering.

"Sara!" he shouted. He was moving closer. "Sara!" He reached the bathroom. "Sara! What did you do?" He grabbed her in his arms like a baby. He looked around for a towel. She dropped the razor.

"Nick."


	4. Alone Time

*I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for all the reviews. I appreciate it so much.

Chapter 4: Alone Time

"Sara. Hold on." He found two hand towels and wrapped them around each of her wrists. Then called 911. He rushed down the stairs with Sara in his arms. He wasn't sure what to do. The ambulance wasn't there yet. Wait? Or get her to the hospital? What should he do?

The ambulance showed up a minute later and the EMT's were pulling Sara away from him. His arms wouldn't let go of her but they managed to get her. He got in the ambulance with her, trying to calm himself on the ride to the hospital. He never thought that she could do this to herself. Sara passed out. They ran her to the emergency room. They hooked wires to her. They pushed Nick out of the way. He was forced into the waiting room. He wouldn't do it without a fuss. He was totally unaware that he'd been crying. 

An hour passed. He'd asked how Sara was over a dozen times. But he'd never thought to call anyone. Finally a nurse came to him.

"You're the man who came with the young lady who tried to kill herself?" she asked him.

_Of course I'm him! _He shouted in his brain. _I've asked how she was a million times and you've told me that you'd tell me soon and you never did!_

"Yes I am. How is she?"

"She's fine. A little shaky. Asking for you. Would you like to go see her?"

_YES!! HOW DUMB ARE YOU?_

"Yes. I would love to."

"This way please."

She led him down a few hallways before reaching her room. He looked at her for a minute through the glass before entering. There were few monitoring machines. And a bag giving her blood.

"Sara." 

"Hey Nick."

He looked at her.

"How did you know to come?"

"I don't know. I just got this feeling that you weren't all right. What made you do that?"

"I was just so upset. Grissom leaving and all. I just felt like there was to much to deal with."

"Well next time, call on a friend ok?"

"Ok."

He gave her a hug and then sat in the chair next to her bed.

"So where is everybody?"

He was confused with her question. "Everybody?"

"Yeah. You know Catherine, Warrick, the gang."

"Oh. I forgot to call them. Do you want me to?"

"Not just yet."

"Ok."

They just looked at each other. He stroked her hair.

"I was so worried when I saw you in the bathroom. There was a lot of blood. I was so scared. You'd think I'd be ok with all the stuff we deal with at work."

She smiled. Nearly crying again.

"Thank you for being there for me. You saved my life. I didn't know what to do. I had cut myself before work and when I got this overwhelming sensation to need to do it again. Then I thought 'Maybe if I cut my wrists, some one could help me.' I felt so hopeless. I didn't want to go back to that again. But since I used to, it seemed like a good idea to do it again."

"You used to cut yourself?"

"Yeah. I had it rough for a while when I was a teenager. But I was ok for a long time."

"Please don't do it again. It scared me." He saw his hand in her hair and pulled it back. "Um. I'll go call them now."

"Ok."

He stood up and walked towards the door. But she grabbed his hand. He turned to her.

"Thank you."

"Anything to help out a friend."

He turned and walked out of her room. His hands were shaking a little bit. He liked Sara. But he'd been there as her friend. Nothing more. But he wanted to hold her in his arms again. He found a pay phone and called Catherine, Warrick, Grissom, and Greg. He waited for them outside her room.


	5. Strange Dreams

I just have to say that I am so sorry it took me forever to update. Nearly a month now. But I promise that my next chapters will be updated more quickly. I just couldn't think of what I could do next. And I just want to let you all know (I've gotten several remarks about this), I am not quite sure how I'm going about Nick and Sara's relationship or Grissom and Sara's relationship. But however I go, that's my decision and I hope you all can accept it (I'm not saying it'll be Nick but you never know!! You know from the show that Greg likes her too!!). So please go on and read and I shall update the next chapters sooner.And to Barb8-I totally don't think that Nick is a womanizer. I think he is a sweet guy and I'd go for him in a heartbeat! Lol. Hence the name.

Chapter 5: Strange Dreams

Sara lay in her hospital bed looking at Nick, wondering why he hadn't come back in. The last time he had the cell phone to his ear was over 10 minutes ago.

He stood there now with his head against the wall, eyes closed, just listening to himself breath.

He found himself in a dark room, only one center light. Sara was on the ground in the pool of light, sparkling crimson blood around her arms. She was already dead, he could tell from the corner of the room. He couldn't save her this time. He crossed over to her body and picked her up. He didn't want to cry but her couldn't help it.

"Sara. Sara." He shook her.

Nick held her close, weeping into her hair. He felt her move and looked at her. Her eyes were open now, they were gray and empty.

"Sara?"

Her bloody arm grabbed his neck, starving him of air.

"You did this to me!!" She screamed. "You did this to me!!"

She just kept screaming it and screaming it.

Someone jerked at his shoulder.

"Nick. Nick wake up! You must have been daydreaming." he was now on the floor. Grissom had awaken him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It was just really. Sara died and I was holding. Then she came back to life, choking me. She was screaming 'You did this to me!' over and over and over."

"Well Sara is fine. She saw you slide to the ground and started to get up, but we made her get back into bed. You should go see her. She's worried."

"Yeah, alright." He slowly stood up.

Nick and Grissom walked into Sara's room. Catherine, Warrick, and Greg were already in her room.


	6. Two Counts of Untouchable

Disclaimer: Please don't put me through the misery of saying that I do not own CSI, yadda yadda yadda...

Author's Note: I've had a major case of writer's block but I'm finally back with the sixth chapter in this lovely story. I call my writer's block The Curse of the Fifth Chapter. Meaning I can't ever get past chapter five. So hopefully this chapter will break the curse and I will be able to continue with the story. I'm not going to promise that the next chapter will be up soon, but I am going to try to get as much done as soon as it comes to my head!! I also want to say some things (I don't know if I've commented on them before). In my story "She Will Be Loved," you probably haven't read it, but I got like two reviews telling me that the ending wasn't believable and it wouldn't happen like that. Well I wasn't exactly writing it so it would be _just like it would happen_. The story was in my head and every time I visited it, the story ended just like that. I wrote it just how I saw it, not how I thought some people wanted it. So keep that same idea in mind for this story. I'm gonna go where ever the story takes me. Regardless if that be Grissom and Sara, Sara and Nick, Grissom and Catherine, Greg and Sara, Warrick and Catherine, and the rest of the combinations (btw I don't do same sex stories so don't expect that). Also for a reminder on what's in this chapter, keep Nick's thoughts and Grissom's thoughts away from reality. Remember that they are just thoughts. Well enough with my rattling. On to the story!!(This probably isn't the best of chapters, but it's all that came out.)

Chapter 6:Two Counts of Untouchable

As they entered the room, Nick flashed a small smile and inclined his head a little towards the gang to show that everything was okay.

"So do you think they'll let you go back to your house alone?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask my doctor about that. Most likely no. I think they put you in an institute for a couple of weeks, just to make sure that you are all right and don't try to do anything. Which I don't think works because you could fake it the whole time and then really kill yourself when you get out." Sara said the whole thing with no signs of saying that she wasn't planning on doing that herself. "But I wouldn't do it because the only reason I did what I did was a kind of cry for help."

"But why Sara?? Can you imagine what would have happened if Nick didn't happen to be there?? Or if no one came to your rescue!! You wouldn't be here!! Sara!! How could you have been so stupid?!?" Catherine burst out. Sara was ashamed of herself. She didn't take the time to think about no one coming. She just automatically thought that someone, anyone would be there. Was that selfish of her? Whether the answer was yes or no, she wouldn't find out. She just stared at her blanket and picked fuzzballs off of it.

"Did you think how all of us would have felt if you didn't show up to work and one of us had gone to check if you were sick because you didn't answer your phone and we found you, dead in the bathroom covered in blood!!" Cath had said the whole sentence without breathing (hence the no punctuation).

"Take a breath Catherine. Let's just be thankful that Nick did find her." Warrick said trying to calm Cath down.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence for a while. It seemed that dust was collecting in piles, but if you shifted your eyes you could see that everything was spotless. Mostly everyone just watched their hands and examined their nails. Sara drifted in and out of sleep. Grissom stared out of Sara's lonely window, watching the cars go along.

Greg was the one to break the silence. His head slipped off of his hands and he snored very loud. So loud in fact the he woke himself up, looking alarmed. Catherine laughed aloud and was quickly joined by everyone but Nick. He had a glassy look about him and just stared into space. He hadn't blinked for a minute or two.

His mind wandered for a while. He didn't know what to think about. He didn't want to be any kind of hero. He wasn't a hero. He just showed up at the right time. A gut feeling. How would his relationship with Sara be from now on? They were friends. They laughed and goofed around. But he _had_ been the one to rescue her. He couldn't change that now. She would think of him as something similar to a rescuer. She probably wouldn't think of him the same. He couldn't express his true feelings towards her now. It would be to late for that.

At the window, Grissom's line of thought was almost the same. It was true that he thought more of Sara than friend or co-worker. He wanted to be more than that. But she was untouchable. They couldn't be anything more than friends. It would be impossible. She was probably falling for Nick by now. It was to late. Perhaps it was always to late for him.


	7. Where Now?

**Chapter 7: Where Now?**

Visiting hours were almost over. Grissom and Nick were the only ones who were still there. Nick had the night off and Grissom didn't work at night anymore.

_As soon as Grissom leaves, I'm telling her how I feel._ Nick thought while not even half listening to the conversation going on around him. He looked at his watch, only ten minutes left.

Silence.

He looked up and both Grissom and Sara were looking at him, waiting for some answer he didn't know.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Grissom asked if you had a ride home," Sara told him, a smile hidden just beneath her words.

"It's getting late and we have to leave soon. I wasn't sure if you had a ride home or not," said Grissom.

"Are you leaving right now?" Nick asked, looking down at his watch again.

_Damn. 8 minutes._

"Yes, why? Are you late for something?"

"No no. Just wonderin what time it was. But thanks anyway about the ride."

"Ok. Well I'll see you guys around."

"Yeah, ok," Nick said. He shook Grissom's hand and gave him a hug.

"Bye Grissom."

He bent over and gave Sara a hug goodbye.

"I'll visit tomorrow." With that and a wave, Grissom left Sara and Nick alone in the hospital room.

"Only a few minutes left. What do you want to talk about?" Sara asked.

_I can't do it. What am I supposed to say anyway?_

"Nick...?" she asked.

"Actually, I don't have a ride home. Maybe if I hurry I can catch up to him," Nick said, sweating slightly.

"Okay...Are you okay, Nick? You're starting to sweat an awful lot," she said laughing a little but being serious.

"Look Sara. There's something on my mind that I want to talk to you about."

"Everything okay Nick?"

"Yeah. It's just the reason that I think why I knew to come to you."

She looked at him strangely.

"It's because I care about you so much. Much more than I probably should."

"What do you mean?"

"I like you. Sara." He breathed a little. It was out. But what about her response? He didn't think about that.

"Nick. I can't do this right now. I need to find out where _I_ need to go, before I think about where I'm going with other people."

"I understand. I'm sorry. I shouldn't've told you," he moved towards the door. "I'll come visit tomorrow. Get a good night sleep. Bye." And he left. _Where do I go now?_

Sara lie in her bed, alone in the room. She wasn't tired anymore. Her appeared at her window and entered.

"Hello Ms. Sidle. How are you this evening?"

"I'm alright, thanks. And how are you?"

"I'm doing fine thank you. I'm here to talk to you about your treatment. For attempted suicide it is required that you spend three weeks in an institution. We'll be moving you there tomorrow. We just need to monitor you, to make sure that-"

"That I don't try to do it again. I know."

"Well good. Here is a list of items that you are allowed to bring, along with a list of restricted items. Visitors are allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and selected weekends, between the hours of 2 and 6 PM. They must check in and out. They will be searched to make sure they aren't-"

"Sneaking anything to me. I think I have the idea."

"Okay. Are you in any pain?"

"Some."

"Okay." She checked her chart. "You'll receive more medication soon. Good night."

"Good night."

The doctor left. Sara lay by herself again. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

Sara stood outside. It was cold. She held pamphlets in one hand and her suitcase in the other. The pamphlets were to help her stay focused and to motivate her to stop cutting. One was information on the group therapy session that she had to do once a week for the next 8 weeks.

She let out a breath. She missed work. She missed her friends. She missed Grissom. He only visited once, on his day off. They talked the full 4 hours. Nick only visited once. Catherine, Warrick, and Greg visited when they could.

_Where do I go now?_


	8. Oh, What A Night

I went ahead and wrote Chapter 8, while waiting to see if I should post it. And I've had reviews, so here's Chapter 8!I know some will be disappointed with the choice I'm making, but oh well. This is where the story brought me. I just want to quickly say I'm sorry that I kept writing "they were quiet" and blah blah blah. But there had to be empty spaces to put the rest in. Enjoy!

The next chapter will be up by Thursday, June 30th. I hope. But definately by Saturday July 2nd!

**Oh, What a Night**

They said the taxi should be here to pick her up in the next five to ten minutes. That was a half hour ago. She looked at her watch. It was 5:30. Grissom had just gotten off of work, surely he wouldn't mind picking her up. He wasn't that far away, and the institution wasn't out of his way home. She didn't have her cell phone, so she had to go back in. With a sigh she trudged back in. Three weeks was enough for her, she didn't need this extra time inside, but she needed a way home.

"May I please use your phone?" she asked the receptionist. "I don't have change for the pay phone."

"May I ask what you need the phone for?" she asked.

"I need to call a friend for a ride home." she said, being used to people being nosey and having to know everything. "My taxi never came."

The receptionist handed over the phone and dialed the number as Sara told her.

Ring.

Ring.

This was longer than it usually took for Grissom to answer his phone.

Ring.

"Grissom."

"Hey Grissom. It's Sara. I need a ride home, can you pick me up?"

"Sure. Uh...Hold on a second." He talked to someone else. "Yeah, I just have to drop someone else home first. I'll be there in twenty?"

"Great. Thanks."

_Drop someone else home first?_ _Who could he possibly be driving home? Didn't he care about her anymore?_

* * *

She got in the car. He was happy to see her. The last time he saw her was two weeks ago.

"Thanks Grissom. You're a big help." She said, wondering who this mysterious person was.

"I don't mind. How come you needed a ride home?"

"My taxi didn't come."

"Oh ok."

It was quiet for a moment. She was just itching to ask who he drove home. She could feel the words in her mouth. They could just slip out at any moment. But was it any of her business?

"You're wondering who I drove home." He said knowingly.

"No I'm not."

"I can see it on your face. Go ahead. Ask."

It was silent for a minute. She didn't want to give in to the temptation. She didn't want to prove him right.

"Who were you driving home?"

He laughed.

"I knew you wanted to know. It was a colleague of mine. His car broke down and he needed a lift home."

"Oh. Ok."

"Sara." They stopped at an intersection. "Where to?"

"Home, I guess." She wanted to go somewhere with him. Any where. Just be with him. For them to finally be together. "Do you want to go get something to eat?"

They went right, still going in the direction of Sara's home.

"Sara."

"No, it's not like that. I'm just hungry and I don't think I have anything to eat at home."

He thought. "Okay, but this is not a date." He wished it was. But now was not the time for dates. Now was the time to keep Sara well.

"I know. So, how's everything?"

"It's good. My students are doing very well."

They kept talking. He talked and talked. But it came to an awkward end half way through dinner. It was quiet for several long moments. Sara shifted in her seat. She didn't know what to talk about.

"Sara, you've liked me for a while, yes?" Grissom asked, seemingly out of nowhere. She turned a deep red and swallowed hard before answering. "Yes."

"Okay." There was a faint smile on his face.

That was the of that topic of conversation. His face got kind of serious.

"I was talking to Nick the other day." Grissom said.

_Uh-oh._ Sara thought, not knowing where he was going to go with this.

"We were talking about you, and he told me what happened in the hospital room. I th-"

"Nothing really 'happened.' It's not a big deal." She said, wanting him to stop talking about it.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I think you did the right thing. Letting him know that it had to wait."

Sara didn't say anything. She just looked at him.

"Grissom? Why are you talking about this with me?"

He was confused. He hadn't expected this reaction from her. "I don't know. I just thought you should know that he talked to me about it. I'm sorry, I didn't know it would upset you."

"It's ok, never mind."

They quietly finished their meals and payed the bill. In the car, the silence was broken only by the music.

* * *

He walked her to her door.

"Sara," he touched her arm, "I'm sorry for upsetting you." He was sincere.

"It's okay, Gil."

He smiled, she never called him by his first name.

She smiled back. "Would you like to come in for a drink?"

He looked doubtful, but then nodded.

He walked to the couch and sat down while Sara got two beers from the refrigerator. She sat down next to him. They both drank, without saying anything. He put his bottle on the coffee table.

"Sara-"

"I know." He liked her too.

He leaned over and kissed her softly. He looked at her for approval and she smiled. He kissed her again, softly at first and then more rough.


End file.
